Bottom slamming for a Very Large Floating Structure: local and global analysis. Part 1

The bottom-slamming of a Very Large Floating Structure (VLFS) has been studied with theoretical and numerical tools. The strategies adopted are: (i) a fully nonlinear description to predict bottom-slamming occurrence, (ii) a linear analysis to estimate the global motions of a platform, and (iii) a Domain-Decomposition strategy combining them. In the latter case, method (i) is used in an inner domain in the wave-side region of the VLFS, where nonlinearities matter and bottom-slamming can occur, and receives the initial and boundary conditions and the body motions from the global analysis performed by (ii). In this first part of the analysis, solver (i) is described and applied to investigate the bottom-slamming features in terms of ow evolution and pressure and stresses induced on the platform bottom. Excitation of hydroelastic coupling and occurrence of air cushion are also discussed. In the latter case the challenges connected with scaling effects are analyzed.